Tesla Model S 75D is official, but has the same battery as the older 70D

After the rumors were initially the Palo Alto-based electric luxury automaker has announced the introduction of the new Tesla Model S 75D battery option.

The Californian carmaker is known for doing things differently from the rest of the classic automakers, but the latest move might not bode well with fans and future customers, as it looks snatched directly from the Apple upgrade strategy. You know, every two years the electronics maker delivers a new iPhone and in the interspersed year there’s an S update. This is in a way mirrored by Tesla which has announced the new Model S 75D is actually just a software update for the 70D. That’s because the new 75D has the same battery as the 70D – the former with a software patch to unlock the extra 5 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity over the 70D. This means the functionality was already there, and Tesla is asking a premium on a simple software command.

That’s because the new 75D option will be $3,000 more than the 70D, and for that money the owner gets 19 more miles of range, The total reaches now 253 miles (407 km) for rear-wheel-drive models and 259 miles (416 km) for all-wheel-drive variants packing dual motors. The owners of the 70D aren’t left out, as the ones that ordered a 2017 Model S 70D can also get the unlock for $3,250. Essentially, this means the owners of the Model S 70D had the 75 kWh battery all along, under their feet.

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That’s a shady move by tesla. What makes it shady is the fact that they had to spend the time to develope the software to limit the battery. And now Tesla wants their cutomers to pay to use what they payed for. I might end up canceling my reservation to see how this all plays out because I don’t want to help fund another GM.